Two killed and around 28 injured as missiles destroy Kharkiv apartment block

Two people, including a three-year-old child, were killed and about 28 others injured when a multi-storey residential apartment block in Kharkiv was almost completely destroyed in a dual missile attack on Friday afternoon, Ukrainian officials said. President Volodymyr Zelensky described the strike as "heinous." Kharkiv officials said the bodies of a woman and a three-year-old were recovered from the rubble and that preliminary information suggested they may have been a mother and son.

Of the roughly 28 injured — including a six-month-old baby — 16 have been taken to hospital. Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said a search and rescue operation was ongoing, with more than 80 volunteers working at the scene. Russia's Defence Ministry denied carrying out strikes on Kharkiv, saying on Telegram that the Russian armed forces "neither planned nor launched attacks" there.

It suggested footage showing heavy smoke before the blast indicated the detonation of Ukrainian ammunition and said reports of a strike were intended to distract from a New Year's Eve hotel attack in a Russian-held part of Kherson region. The Russian ministry has accused Ukraine of killing dozens in a drone strike on a New Year's party in the village of Khorly; the BBC has not independently verified these claims or casualty figures.

Key Topics

World, United States, Ukraine, Russia, Kharkiv, Missiles, Civilian Casualties